We maintain the best listing we can of natural history-related events on Martha’s Vineyard. While we periodically check organizational websites and newspaper calendar sections for events to include here, we’d welcome your help making this part of our website as complete and helpful as possible. Are you or your organization involved in an event that might be of interest to friends of the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life? Please email MVAL program director Matt Pelikan at with details or a web link.
Thanks for your help!
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Southern Pine Beetle Ecology and Management
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. With forest entomologist and community ecologist Caroline Kanaskie, currently a professor at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Southern Pine Beetle, a fairly recent arrival on Martha’s Vineyard as it expands its range northward, has already seriously impacted pitch pines in portions of the island. And the effects of this tiny but powerful beetle are likely to be a major, enduring factor in the Vineyard’s ecology. Dr. Kanaskie, who has studied the ecology of this beetle along the northern limit of its range, will explain the basics of its biology and discuss ways Vineyard property owners can mitigate its effects. Free and open to all, but pre-registration is required using the button below:
Lunchtime Webinar: Black Skimmer Biology and Research
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Join the BiodiversityWorks shorebird team to learn about this striking bird. The Vineyard hosts the northernmost nesting colony of this species, and for several years now, we have collaborated on a project to band and track birds produced by the Vineyard colony. This webinar will cover the biology of black skimmers and describe what we’ve learned about the movements and wintering habitat of “our” population. Get an inside look at one of our most imortant research projects. Free and open to all, but please use the button below to register and receive the Zoom link for the webinar.
Webinar: Asiloidea (Robber Flies and Their Allies) of Martha’s Vineyard
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Join community naturalist Matt Pelikan for a webinar introducing the Vineyard members of the insect superfamily Asiloidea: Robber Flies and Their Allies. A distinctive mix of nearly 40 members of this group in three closely related families has been documented here, occuping every island habitat and exhibiting a huge diversity of life histories. Weirdness guaranteed! Free and open to all but please register by clicking the button below to receive the Zoom link.